Archived News for Engineering Professionals
Major project status has been awarded to an iron ore mining and export plan in South Australia, with costs forecast in the neighbourhood of $5 billion.
Federal road spend laid down
As has been repeated many times since the federal election, the new Coalition government intends to be known for its infrastructure – the incoming regime is trying to put money where its mouth has been and present a business case for massive road projects.
Global factors blamed for local jobs drop
A recent survey has shown a downturn in the amount of people working in the mining industry’s exploration sector, but seemingly no shortage of exploration going on.
Melbourne to host professional pow-wow
The World Engineers Convention will be on in Melbourne this year after Australia won hosting rights for the world-first event.
Roy Hill contracts spread half-billion dollar spend
An Australian company has received the go-ahead for an enormous project to build railways to carry resources across Western Australia.
Uni's face-off for cybernetic supremacy
Engineering students from schools around the country will be putting their custom-built robotic companions into battle for the 2013 National Instruments Autonomous Robotics Competition.
Auditors asked to lay off the little guy
The federal Minister for Small Business has instructed the Australian Tax office to lay-off on audits of independent contractors and the self-employed.
Clear thoughts found amid the noise
New research has digitally remastered our view of the brain, leading to a clearer picture which could help define better methods for brain-computer interfacing.
Easy sell on smart arm for strokes
Researchers at north Queensland universities have reportedly been fending off waves of interest in their new robot arm for stroke suffers.
Firms to patch cannon-balled broadband plans
Several companies in the telecoms industry are taking the uncertainty over the future of the National Broadband Network as an opportunity to drum up some profits.
Neurons shine in nanoscale photo-op
The average brain contains about 100 billion neurons, each with one to ten thousand synapses each. A technique has been tested which allows scientists to view the electrical activity of just one synapse at a time amid a torrent of trillions.
Re-heating steam for solar storage
Australian engineers are bringing back the steam engine, revamped as a cheap storage medium for solar power.
Report cuts to core of water risk in QLD
A new report says millions of litres of water are at risk from proposed coal mines in Queensland’s Galilee Basin.
Smooth design for resistant device
Current materials are being pushed to their physical limits in the quest for higher-density switches for computer storage and memory, leading to expanded research into “resistive switching” as the next standard form.
Nano-tape for grasping liquid beads
The structure of a new material created at the University of Sydney manages to mimic the petals of a rose on a nano-scale – capturing beads of water and other liquids across its skin.
Charcoal burns a path to greener industry
Environmental engineers have used a recent mining conference to highlight the benefits of bio-char; a material created by industrial manufacture but which can be used to mitigate its environmental effects
Export point decking down
Things are coming together on the site of the new coal terminal near Gladstone.
Micro-bots making their way to macro-bodies
Microscopic robots have been created which can be injected into the human body to carry drugs or conduct analyses without the need for invasive surgery.
Parbuckling project to right the past
UPDATE: After tireless effort the wrecked Costa Concordia now sits upright. Pictures and a time lapse video have been taken.
Road board dreams of forever open highways
Word this week from the Australian Road Research Board (ARRB) says the country’s transport infrastructure could be employed as a much more valuable resource than is currently realised.